ii.t 


K  IR  AA   ( )  X 


^ 


S  E  R  M  o  :Nr 


PREACBBD    IN 


ON  THE  THIRD  SUNDAY  IN  ADVENT, 
Decejiber    14,    1862, 


ON  THE  DEATH  OP  THE 


REV.  WILLIAM  DEHON,  RECTOR, 


BY 


REV.  C.  P.  GADSDEN, 

KKCTOB      OF      ST.      LUK«'8      CHURCH. 


PUBLISBED  BY  REQUEST  OP  THE  VESTRY  OF  ST.  PHILIP'S  CHCRCH. 


CHARLESTON : 

STKAM-POWKR   PRESS   OF    EVANS    St   COGSWELL, 

No.  3  Broad  and  103  East  Bay  streets. 

1863. 


Charleston,  15«/j  Deeemher,  1862. 
Reverknd  and  Dkar  Sir: 

I  am  directed  by  the  Vestrv  of  St.  Philip's  chnroh  to  request  that  you  will 
furnish  us  for  publication  with  a  copy  of  your  eloquent  and  impressive  Sermon, 
delivered  at  St.  Philip's  church  yesterday,  ou  the  occasion  of  the  death  of  our 
beloved  and  lamented  pastor  and  rector,  the  Reverend  William  Dehon. 

Our  pastor  was  so  dear  to  his  congregation  that  su'^h  a  record  of  his  life  and 
sketch  of  his  character  as  your  Sermon  contains  will  be  very  highly  prized  by 
them. 

With  great  re;:jard  and  esteem, 

Yours  very  truly  and  respectfully, 

W.  ALSTON  PRINGLE, 

Chairman  of  the  Vettry. 
To  the  Reverend  0.  P.  Gadsden, 

Charleston.  S.  C. 


» 


Chari.estok,  December  16,  1862. 


Dbau  Sir  : 

Your  note,  convoying  the  request  of  the  Vestry  of  St.  Philip's  church,  that  they 
be  furnished  for  publication  with  a  copy  of  the  Sermon  preached  at  the  request  of 
your  Assistant  Minister,  on  the  occasion  of  the  death  of  your  beloved  rector,  has 
been  handed  me. 

If  you  think  that  the  imperfect  sketch  of  his  charaiiter  which  I  have  attempted 
will  be  at  all  useful  in  embalming  in  the  memory  of  an  affectionate  and  bereaved 
flock  the  Christian  graces  and  pastoral  faithfulness  of  the  departed,  I  do  not  feel  at 
liberty  to  decline. 

With  the  sincerest  sympathy,  and  the  earnest  prayer  that  the  Great  Head  of  the 
Church  will  comfort  your  afflicted  congregation  with  the  precious  consolations 
of  his  grace, 

T  ri'm.ain  very  truly  and  respectfully, 

Y'our  friend  and  servant  in  Christ  Jesus, 

C.  P.  GADSDEN. 
Hon.  W.  Alston  Pringle, 

Chairman  tif  the  Vestri/  of  St.  Philip't  church. 


"Ye,  who  your  Lord's  commission  bear, 
His  way  of  mercj'  to  prepare ; 
Angels  He  calls  j'ou  :  be  your  strife 
To  lead  on  earth  an  angel's  life. 
Think  not  of  rest,  though  dreams  be  sweet. 
Start  up,  and  ply  your  heavenward  feet. 
Is  not  God's  oath  upon  your  head, 
Ne'er  to  sink  back  on  slothful  bed, 
Never  again  your  loins  untie, 
Nor  let  3'our  torches  waste  and  die. 
Till,  when  the  shadows  thickest  fall, 
Ye  hear  your  Master's  midnight  call?" — Keble. 


SERMON 


"Neither  count  I  my  life  dear  unto  myself,  so  that  I  might  finish  uiy  course  with 
joy,  and  the  ministry  which  I  have  received  ot  the  Lord  Jesus,  to  testify  the  gospel 
of  the  grace  of  God." — Acta  .vr,  24. 

So  spake  the  blessed  Paul.  It  was  the  language  of 
heroic  consecration,  manifesting  the  true  spirit  of  the 
martyr.  Duty  called  him  to  Jerusalem,  and  he  would  obey 
at  every  hazard.  And  yet  it  was  no  unreasoning  impulse 
which  moved  him,  but  the  calm  consideration  of  his  respon- 
sibility to  God.  The  "course"  of  life  before  him  could 
only  be  "finished  with  joy"  if  it  was  spent  in  devotion  to 
his  Master.  He  had  "received  a  ministry  of  the  Lord 
Jesus,"  and  it  must  be  exercised  "iu  testifying  the  gospel 
of  the  grace  of  God."  The  Apostle  was,  in  this  respect, 
"a  man  of  one  idea."  He  had  surrendered  himself  to  the 
pursuit  of  a  single  object.  And  here  you  have  the  seci^et  of 
his  power,  the  motive  of  his  unsurpassed  heroism.  The  love 
of  Christ  feeds  tlie  flame  of  holy  resolution,  and  the  com- 
mand of  Christ  is  a  call  of  duty  which  makes  death  itself  no 
obstacle  to  obedience. 

And  the  spirit  of  Paul  has  been  found  wherever  the 
shadow  of  the  Cross  has  fallen ;  the  faith  of  the  Crucified 
has  been  prolific  of  martyrs;  the  grace  of  Jesus  causes  men 
to  be,  like  their  Saviour,  self-sacrificing.  Nor  is  it  only  in 
times  of  persecution,  when  the  rack  and  the  stake  test  the 
believer's  endurance,  that  this  grace  has  exercise.  The 
spirit  of  devotion  is  ever  the  mark  of  Christ's  true  ministers, 
without  which  they  cannot  fulfil  their  high  and  holy 
mission. 


In  yonder  church-yard,  brethren,  sleep  the  earthly  re- 
mains of  one,  who  was  in  his  whole  ministerial  career  as 
true  an  illustration  of  the  Christian  principle  of  self-sacri- 
fice as  could  anywhere  be  found.  A  man,  of  whom  I  may 
say,  and  I  knew  him  well,  that  duty  was  his  watchword, 
and  to  "finish  his  course  with  joy,  and  the  ministry  which 
he  had  received  of  the  Lord  Jesus,'"  the  single  efibrt  of  Jiis 
life. 

When,  standing  beside  his  remains,  and  beginning  to 
realize  how  much  the  Church  of  God  had  lost  in  his 
removal,  I  was  asked  by  your  minister  to  attempt  the 
tribute  of  affection  which  calls  me  here  to-day,  the  words 
of  the  text  were  immediatcl}-  suggested  to  my  mind.  They 
seemed  to  be  the  embodiment  of  his  character,  and  a  fitting 
epitaph  to  grace  his  tomb. 

Unselfishness  and  generosity  are  always  attractive,  but 
when  they  take  the  form  of  Christian  self-sacrifice,  they 
glow  with  the  beauty  of  heaven.  Your  late  rector  was  a 
man  upon  wiiom  the  grace  of  Jesus  had  legibly  wriften 
these  excellencies,  and  his  life,  though  it  flowed  in  quiet 
channels  and  with  little  of  the  noise  and  bustle  of  noto- 
riety, was  a  deep  and  rapid  current  which  was  ever  rush- 
ing on  to  the  music  of  its  own  ripple,  to  bear  its  tribute  to 
the  oceaa  of  divine  love.  To  him  "to  live  was  Christ," 
and  even  to  die  in  such  a  service,  he  counted  '-gain." 

With  a  trembling  hand  I  proceed  to  sketch  the  outline 
of  his  excellence.  The  story  of  his  life  is  soon  told,  but 
the  memory  of  its  beauty  will  not  easily  be  obliterated 
from  our  hearts. 

William  Dehon,  the  youngest  son  of  the  Right  Reverend 
Theodore  and  Mrs.  Sarah  Dehon,  was  born  in  the  City 
of  Charleston  on  the  30tb  of  September,  1817.  He  was 
given  by  God  to  a  widowed  mother,  while  the  recent  death 
of  his  father  shaded  her  dwelling  with  a  great  sorrow,  and 
filled  the  Diocese  with  grief  for  the  loss  of  a  beloved 
Bishop.  At  the  altar  beneath  which  the  remains  of  her 
.sainted  husband  were  buried  the  bereaved  survivor  dedi- 
cated her  infant  in   baptism,  and  prayed  that  the  Lord 


would  accept  him  for  his  servant,  and  in  due  time  call  him 
to  be  an  ambassador  of  his  Son.  From  thence,  like  Han- 
nah, having  "lent  him  to  the  Lord,"  she  endeavored,  in 
faith  and  prajer,  to  train  him  to  be  a  Christian  and  a 
minister. 

If  it  were  a  sad  loss  to  the  boy  never  to  have  known  the 
guidance  of  such  a  father  as  death  had  deprived  him  of,  it 
was  a  blessing  enjoyed  by  few  to  have  been  the  child  of 
such  a  mother.  Her  pious  memory  is  fragrant  in  the 
Church,  and  many  "rise  up  and  call  her  blessed."  It  has 
often  been  remarked  how  manifestly  God  hears  the  prayers 
and  crowns  the  eflbrts  of  believing  mothers  in  regard  to 
their  children.  In  every  age  the  Church  has  pointed  with 
grateful  emotion  to  her  Augustins,  Xewtons,  ancl  Cecils, 
the  jewels  with  which  holy  women  have,  through  prayers 
and  tears,  adorned  the  courts  of  the  sanctuary.  The  in- 
stance before  us  is  another  proof  of  Jehovah's  faithfulness, 
and  a  strong  incentive  to  the  handmaids  of  the  Lord  to 
train  their  offspring  for  his  service.  Xor  were  the  labors 
of  the  most  excellent  of  mothers  unsupported  in  the  holy 
nurture  of  her  son.  Like  Timothy,  our  friend  was  doubly 
blessed,  for  of  him  it  might  be  said,  in  the  words  of  the 
Apostle,  that  "the  unfeigned  faith  that  was  in  him,  dwelt 
first  in  his  grandmother,  as  well  as  in  his  mother,"  and 
thus  by  a  double  cord  of  holy  aiFection  was  his  youthful 
heart  drawn  to  the  love  and  obedience  of  Christ. 

From  the  earliest  childhood,  we  are  told  by  those  who 
knew  him  best,  he  was  an  amiable  and  correct  boy.  The 
habit  of  prayer  was  acquired  at  his  mother's  knee,  and 
"from  a  child  he  knew  the  Holy  Scriptures  which  were 
able  to  make  him  wise  unto  salvation,  through  faith  which 
is  in  Christ  Jesus."  His  blameless  deportment,  attention 
to  study,  obedience  to  his  superiors,  and  unl)lemi3hed 
morals,  made  him  to  be  admired  among  his  youthful  com- 
panions, and  caused  no  pang  to  his  mother's  heart.  But 
theHfe  was  a  higher  work  to  be  accomplished  in  him,  and 
ere  he  was  new  created  in  Christ  Jesus  he  passed  through 
a  deep  experience  which,  before  he  obtained  "peace,"  and 


8 

by  personal  faith  in  a  crucified  Redeemer  was  delivered 
from  the  condemnation  of  the  law,  caused  him  protracted 
suftering,  and  schooled  him  for  that  ministry  which  he 
afterward  exercised  witli  so  much  tenderness  toward 
those  who  were  oppressed  with  the  burden  of  guilt.  It 
was  while  he  was  at  college  that  Satan  thus  "desired  to 
have  him  that  he  might  sift  him  as  wheat,"  but  the  inter- 
cession of  the  Redeemer  was  offered  in  his  behalf^  and  he 
found  acceptance  at  the  foot  of  the  Cross.  May  we  not 
pause  here  to  remark  how  commonly  God  suffers  the 
chosen  instruments  of  his  mercy  to  be  severely  tried  ?  If 
they  are  to  be  useful,  their  religion  must  be  an  experience 
as  well  as  a  belief  The  Master  himself  was  "led  of  the 
Spirit  into  the  wilderness  to  be  tempted  of  the  Devil " 
before  he  entered  upon  the  ministry  of  the  word,  and  his 
people  have  very  generally  been  called  to  follow  him  into 
the  presence  of  the  enemy,  that  they  may  learn  the  use  of 
the  "armor  of  salvation"  and  "the  sword  of  the  Spirit." 

Mr.  Dehon  graduated  at  the  College  of  Charleston  in 
1835,  taking  the  first  honor  in  his  class.  About  a  year 
afterward  he  became  a  candidate  for  holy  orders,  and  hav- 
ins:  been  matriculated  in  1838  in  the  General  Seminarv  in 
New  York,  commenced  the  study  of  theology.  I  have  had 
it  from  his  own  lips  that  it  was  a  severe  struggle  with  him 
to  ascertain  the  path  of  duty  in  regard  to  entering  the 
ministry.  His  mother's  wishes  and  prayers  could  not  be 
absent  from  his  thoughts ;  like  a  holy  spell  they  rested 
upon  his  spirit  and  forbade  the  |Hirsuit  of  any  merely  secu- 
lar calling.  His  own  desires  were  in  the  same  direction, 
but  he  had  a  very  high  estimate  of  the  qualifications  neces- 
sary for  an  ambassador  of  Christ,  and  was  not  the  man  to 
run  in  such  an  errand  without  a  clear  and  decided  call  of 
the  Holy  Spirit.  What  was  his  duty  became  a  subject  of 
serious  reflection,  and  humble,  earnest  prayer,  and  the 
result  was'a  conviction  that  he  was  "inwardly  moved  by 
the  Holy  Ghost  to  take  upon  him  this  ofiice  and  ministra- 
tion to  serve  God,  for  the  promoting  of  his  glory  and  the 
edifying  of  his  Church." 


During  the  three  years  of  his  course  in  the  seminary, 
our  friend  was  assiduous  in  his  studies  and  attentive  to  the 
regulations  of  the  institution,  winning  for  himself  the  ap- 
proval of  his  teachers  and  the  esteem  and  regard  of  his 
fellow-students.  It  was  a  period  of  angry  controversy  in 
the  Church ;  old  errors  were  heing  revived  under  new  and 
attractive  influences,  and  some  of  those  who  were  asso- 
ciated with  him  in  the  study  of  theolog}'  were  led  into 
dangerous  extremes  ;  but  the  mediaeval  fancies  of  Oxford 
found  little  favor  with  him,  and  he  preferred  the  tried 
principles  of  the  old  divines  of  the  English  Church  to  the 
modern  developments  of  Newman.  With  intellectual. im- 
provement was  combined  useful  labor  in  the  Sunday- 
schools  connected  with  churches  in  the  vicinity  of  the 
seminary,  and  his  preparation  for  the  pastoral  office 
was  found  in  visiting  the  poor  and  sick  of  the  crowded 
metropolis. 

His  course  of  study  being  completed,  and  the  period  t)f 
candidateship  having  expired,  he  returned  to  this  city,  and 
was  ordained  Deacon  by  the  late  Bishop  Gadsden,  in  9t. 
Michael's  church,  on  Sunday,  September  19, 1841,  It  miy 
be  imagined  with  what  satisfaction  the  friend  of  his  father 
performed  this  hoi}-  duty,  and  how  deep  and  fervent  must 
have  been  the  gratitude  of  his  mother,  when  she  saw  her 
prayers  answered,  and  her  hopes  fulfilled,  at  that  very  altar 
where,  in  the  day  of  her  sorrow,  she  had  uttered  her  pious 
vows. 

As  soon  as  he  was  commissioned  -for  the  work  of  the ». 
ministry,  Mr.  Dehon  entered  upon  it  with  that  ardor  which 
has  ever  marked  his  course.  His  first  field  of  labor  was 
the  mission  on  the  Wateree  river,  where  his  principal  work 
was  preaching  the  gospel  to  the  blacks.  It  was  here  that 
he  became  interested  in  the  truly  missionary  effort  of 
making  Christ  known  to  the  negroes,  which  ever  afterw^ard 
was  a  marked  feature  of  his  ministr3\  He  Avas  occupied 
for  a  year  in .  this  vicinity,  visiting  the  plantations  and 
exerting  all  his  energies  for  the  instruction  of  those  en- 
trusted to  his  care.     A  portion  of  the  summer  was  spent  in 


10 

'Greenville,  where  he  supplied  the  place  of  the  rector  of 
Christ  church,  who  was  absent  in  search  of  health. 

In  November,  1842,  he  accepted  a  call  to  the  united 
parishes  of  St.  Stephen's  and  Upper  St.  John's,  where,  on 
the  3d  of  March.  1844,  he  was  ordained  to  the  priesthood. 
In  this  field  he  labored  for  sixteen  years,  exercising  an 
influence  for  good  which  has  rarely  been  equalled,  and* 
securing  for  himself  the  confidence  and  affection  of  the 
-  whole  community.  Ilis  charge  consisted  of  three  distinct 
congregations,  having  separate  places  of  worship,  and  em- 
braced a  field  not  less  than  thirty  miles  in  length.  The 
religious  condition  of  the  neighborhood,  when  he  accepted 
tke  rectorship,  was  far  from  promising.  There  were  but 
few  male  communicants.  The  churches  had  been  without 
a  pastor  for  two  years.  Public  worship  had  been  irregu- 
larly performed,  and  was  but  scantily  attended,  and  there 
was  coldness  and  indiff'erence  to  the  cause  of  Christ.  The 
parishes,  although  they  had  been  supplied  with  Episcopal 
ministrations,  were  not  in  union  with  the  Convention  of 
tlfe  Diocese,  and  took  no  part  in  the  general  concerns  of  the 
Church.  Mr.  Dehon,  by  a  judicious  exercise  of  his  personal 
influence,  succeeded  in  correcting  these  informalities.  The 
parishes  sought  and  obtained  admission  to  the  Convention.* 
One  of  the  churches,  which  had  become  decayed,  was  taken 
down  -and  tastefully  rebuilt,  and,  together  with  the  other 
two,  was  consecrated  by  the  Bishop  according  to  the  ritual 
of  our  Church,  and  services  were  established,  with  regu- 
^larity,  in  each  upon  every  third  Sunday.  A  Sunday-school 
was  organized,  and  all  the  machinery  of  a  well  regulated 
paris^h  was  put  in  operation. 

Nor  was  it  the  outward  form  of  piety  alone  that  was 
revived.  By  a  faithful  exhibition  of  the  gospel  from  the 
pulpit,  and  a  laborious  and  afiectionate  performance  of 
pastoral  work,  a  decided  impression  was  made  upon  the 
community.  One  after  another,  individuals  were  brought 
to  receive  the  Saviour.  Candidates  for  confirmation,  care- 
fully instructed,  and  impressed  with  the  solemnity  of  their 
vows,  and  the  sacredness  of  the  resulting  obligations,  were 


11 

presented  to  the  Bishop  on  his  visitations.  The  table  of 
the  Lord  was  filled  Avith  earnest  commnnicants,  and  the 
whole  tone  of"  the  parish,  hi  a  religious  point  of  view,  was 

»ated  and  improved.  There  was  no  grfiat  outpouring  of 
Spirit,  such  as  is  sonietimes  vouchsafed  in  answer  to 
prayer  and  as  the  reward  of  ministerial  faithfulness,  but 
there  was  the  gentle  and  steady  dew  of  divine  grace,  bless- 
ing an  earnest  pastor,  and  constantly  giving  him  souls  for 
his  hire— ijewels  to  sparkle  in  Emmanuel's  crown. 

In  nothing  was  the  life  of  the  parish  more  apparent  than 
in  its  steady  and  liberal  contributions  to  missions,  both 
domestic  and  foreign  :  the  result,  under  God,  of  the  rec- 
tor's wise  and  persevering  efibrts  to  awaken  and  keep  in 
exercise  a  missionary  spirit. 

In  addition  to  the  hibors  in  the  parish  churches,  the  un- 
tiring minister  devoted  himself  to  the  instruction  of  tlie 
large  number  of  slaves  owned  in  this  neighborhood.  Many 
of  the  plantations  were  under  his  pastoral  charge,  and  twice 
on  Sunday,  and  once  or  twice  in  every  week,  he  preached  to 
this  humble  portion  of  his  flock  the  unsearchable  riches  of 
Christ.  Xever  did  he  seem  more  the  servant  of  Jesus  than 
when,  in  some  cabin  or  unoccupied  cotton-house,  or  open 
shed,  often  exposed  to  the  severity  of  a  winter's  night,  or 
the  burning  heat  of  a  summer's  sun,  he  was  preaching  the 
gospel  to  the  negro,  or  preparing  candidates  for  the  sacra- . 
ments,  or  catechising  the  children  of  the  plantations.  ]S^o 
minister  was  more  indefatigable  or  more  successful  in  this 
work.  Large  numbers  of  servants,  always  admitted  with 
caution,  and  after  protracted  trial  and  instruction,  connected 
themselves  with  the  Church.  Their  aifection  and  reverence 
leir  pastor  was  unbounded,  and  to  no  hearts  will  the 
of  his  death  carry  truer  and  deeper  sorrow, 
able  himself  to  accomplish  all  that  he  desired  in  this 
work,  he  sought  to  enlist  the  masters  and  mistresses  in  the 
cause.  He  induced  many  to  undertake  the  instruction  of 
their  dependents,  procured  upon  several  plantations  the 
erection  of  chapels  for  assembling  the  negroes,  and  with 
signal   success    introduced   among   them    the    use   of  our 


f^i^ei 
Tfbti 


12 

liturgy  in  public  worship.  As  his  opportunities  were  en- 
larged his  exertions  kept  pace  with  them,  and  he  was 
''willing  to  spend  and  be  spent "^in  this  lowly  ministry.  At 
last  he  was  compelled  to  procure  assistance,  and  throi^jh 
the  providence  of  God  it  became  my  privilege  to  pass.^j^p 
diaconate  under  his  roof,  instructed  beyond  what  I  can  ever 
express  by  the  beauty  of  his  example  and  the  heavenly 
earnestness  of  his  spirit.  For  five  years  we  labored  side  by 
side,  and  I  can  testify,  as  an  eye-witness,  to  the  self-sacrifice 
of  his  eftbrts  and  the  exhausting  nature  of  his  ministry. 
Again  and  again  was  he  prostrated  by  his  untiring  dili- 
gence, while  his  strength  was  overtasked,  and,  with  the 
Apostle,  he  "counted  not  his  life  dear  unto  himself  so  that 
he  might  finish  his  course  with  joy,  and  the  ministry  which 
he  had  received  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  to  testify  the  gospel  of 
th6  grace  of  God." 

Other  assistance  wae  secured  when  I  removed  to  the  city, 
and  at  last  a  division  was  made  in  the  parish,  and  one  of 
the  congregations  of  which  he  had  been  rector  was  placed 
under  separate  pastoral  care.  But  still  he  was  overtasked, 
and  in  1858  he  was  so  completely  broken  down  that  he 
was  compelled  to  seek  a  change  of  climate,  and  crossed 
the  Atlantic  with  the  hope  of  obtaining  renewed  strength 
for  his  work. 

On  his  return  from  Europe,  only  partially  recruited,  the 
vestry  of  this  church  placed  before  him  a  call  which  he  did 
not  feel  at  liberty  to  decline.  It  was  hard  parting  with  his 
bel4|ved  flock,  and  their  devotion  to  him  made  it  all  the 
more  diflScult;  but  duty  was  his  watchword,  and  he  thought 
he  saw  the  leading  of  Providence  guiding  him  to  this  field. 
I  have  ne\:er  doubted  it  for  an  instant.  I  need  not  say  how 
admirably  adapted  to  this  ministry  you  have  found  Jttp- 
He  has  served  you  only  too  faithfully,  with  too  little  re^pd 
to  his  own  health  and,  at  last,  by  the  sacrifice  of  his  life. 

He  took  charge  of  St.  Philip's  church  as  rector  on  the 
Ist  of  January,  1859.  A  sorrowing  flock  bade  him  adieu 
in  St.  John's,  and  he  was  welcomed  here  with  a  warmth  of 
affection  which   increased  with  each  year  of  his  abiding  . 


y 


13 

among  you.  It  is  not  for  me  to  say  how  he  has  fulfilled 
his  ministry.  His  record  is  on  high.  The  last  da}-^  of  health 
was  spent  in  this  desk  and  pulpit,  and  the  earnest  and  faith- 
ful messages  which  he  has  delivered  willgneet  you  at  the  bar 
of  God'  ISTor  was  it  only  here  in  the  sanctuary  that  he 
labored,  but  "from  house  to  house,"  as  the  loving  pastor, 
has  he  gone,  and  his  advice,  his  words  of  consolation,  and 
prayere  of  faith  cannot  be  without  spiritual  fruit. 

On  the  day  after  his  last  presence  with  you  he  was 
stricken  with  disease.  It  was  the  third  illness  within  a 
twelvemonth.  Besides  his  pulpit  and  parochial  duties,  he 
had  worn  himself  dr)wn  with  untirino;  work  amonfir  the 
soldiers  in  the  hospitals,  and  daily  ministrations  among  the 
poor  and,  sick  of  his  flock.  He  never  spared  himself,  and 
at  last  he  sunk  under  the  weight  of  his  labors.  Soon  after 
he  was  taken  ill  he  remarked  that  he  "'feared  he  was  about 
to  have  a  serious  and  protracted  sickness."  It  proved  more 
serious  than  he  supposed.  A  sudden  change,  when  his 
friends  fondly  hoped  that  the  crisis  of  his  disease  was 
passed,  hurried  him  down  to  the  gates  of  death. 

The  violence  of  his  malady  prevented  his  bearing  that 
testimony  to  the  gospel  which  he  profes^d,  and  the 
Saviour  in  whom  he  trusted,  which  his  friends  would 
have  loved  t(5  preserve  among  their  most  sacred  memories. 
But  such  a  life  needs  no  seal  from  the  death-bed.  Icwas 
radiant  all  through  its  course  with  the  grace  and  presence 
of  the  Redeemer,  and,  if  clouds  attended  its  setting  sun, 
the  obscurity  was  so  brief  that  the  blush  of  beauty  had 
not  had  time  to  fade  from  the  landscape.  "When  the 
disease  had  spent  its  strength  he  breathed  forth  his  spirit 
from  the  wasted  tabernacle  as  gentl}-  as  the  sigh  of  an 
iflknt  falling  asleep  upon  its  mother's  bosom.  "  He  rests 
from  his  labors,  and  his  works  do  follow  him."  • 

It  only  remains  that  we  endeavor  to  form  an  estimate  of 
his  character,  and  -mark  the  principles  which  gave  beauty 
and  harmony  to  his  life. 

By  nature  Mr.  Dchon  was  amiable  and  affectionate, 
retiring,  indeed,  in  his  manners,  and  of  unusual  modesty, 


14 

which  gave  to  his  intercourse  with  strangei-s  somewhat  the 
air  of  reserve ;  but  to  those  wlio  penetrated  beyond  this  ex- 
terior and  were  admitted  to  his  intimacy  he  discovered  the 
keenest  sensibility ,and  the  truest  tenderness  of  heart.  His 
mind  was  strong  and  active,  but  he  was  slow  in  ex||ressing 
in  ordinary  society  the  opinions  which  he  yet  formed  with 
clearness  and  held  with  decision.  There  was  a  dignity 
in  his  manner  and  a  gravity  in  his  behavior  which  im- 
pressed all  who  came  near  him;  yet  in  liis  family  and  with 
liis  children  there  was  a  playfuhiess  of  disposition  and 
kindliness  of  heart  whicli  made  liim  the  centre  of  the 
gushing  sensibilities  of  home.  He  was  felt  'to  be  at  once 
the  strength  and  the  joy  of  his  household,  the  father,  and 
yet  the  friend  and  companion  of  his  chihh'cn. 

ITc  had  with  all  his  gentleness  a  strong  element  of  com- 
mon sense.  He  knew  men,  was  an  excellent  jndge  of 
character,  and  seldom^  made  a  mistake  in  his  intercourse 
with  others.  His  power  over  those  who  were  brought 
under  his  influence  was  somewhat  remarkable,  and  it  often 
surprised  you  to  see  one  so  quiet  and  unobtrusive  able 
to  eftcct  so  much  in  guiding  and  directing  those  around 
him.  Under  all  circumstances  he  exhibited  the  refine- 
ment of  the  gentleman  and  the  quiet  dignity  of  the  cler- 
gyman. 

But  if  nnture  had  done  so  niuch  for  our  friend,  it  was 
grace  which  clothed  him  with  beauty  and  fitted  him  for 
large  usefulness  in  the  Church  of  Ciod.     His  Christianity 
was  of  the  truest  stamp.     The  work  of   the   Holy  Spirit 
upon  liis  heart  was  real    and  deep.     He   realized    in    the 
profoundest   manner  that  he   was  a   sinner,  and  fied  for 
refuge,    with    childlike   faith,    to    that   only    name    under 
heaven    whereby   we    must    be   saved.      Christ   waa^ 
ground  of  his  confidence  and  the  joy  of  his  heart, 
to  the  iSaviour  was  the  nnirked  characteristic  of  his 
resembling  him  to  that  "beloved  disciple"  who  "leaned^ 
upon  the  bosom  of  his  Lord." 

And  as  he  looked  upon  the  work  of  Jesus  and  realized 
the  depth  of  his  mercy  and  the  fulness  of  his  compassion,- 


s^ke 


16 

his  heart  was  kindled  with  the  spark  of  heavenly  affection, 
and  poured  forth  the  wealth  of  its  charity  upon  all  "  for 
whom  Christ  died,"  Seldom  has  a  man  been  seen  in  whdra 
there  was  a  tenderer  fount  of  affection  for  his  fellows.  His 
love  was  not  the  language  of  the  lips,  easily  uttered  and 
as  easily  forgotten,  but  it  was  the  gushing  freedom  of  a 
soul  penetrated  with  the  spirit  of  the  Redeemer,  cheering 
and  refreshing  all  to  whom  it  flowed.  It  was  that  Chris- 
tian grace  of  "charity,"  so  beautifully  delineated  by  the 
Apostle,  which  "suffereth  long  and  is  kind,  beareth  all 
things,  believeth  all  things,  hopetli  all  things,  endureth  all 
things."  Ko  one  ever  heard  him  utter  an  unkind  or  cen- 
sorious remark,  or  pass  a  severe  judgment  upon  the  actions 
or  motives  of  his  fellow-men.  If  he  could  say  nothing  in 
favor  of  any  one  who  was  reproached  in  his  presence,  he 
evinced  by  his  silence  how  painful  if  was  for  his  gentle 
heart  to  think  evil  of  any  one. 

In  works  of  active  benevolence  he  was  always  ready ;  the 
poor  regarded  him  as  their  best  friend ;  the  widow  and 
orphan  never  appealed  to  him*  in  vain;  and  he  would  pro- 
vide for  the  sick  and  suffering  at  any  expense  of  comfort 
and  personal  ease.  As  Vice-President  of  the  Church  Home, 
he  exerted  himself  to  the  utmost  for  the  best  interests  of 
the  needy  and  friendless,  and  Avas  deeply  interested  in  the 
^success  of  a  plan  of  benevoTence  which  he  regarded  as 
embodying  high  principles  of  Christian  duty. 

The  personal  piety  of  Mr.  Dehon  was  marked  by  his  pro- 
found reverence  for  Scripture,  his  delight  in  retirement  and 
communion  with  God,  and  the  .constant  habit  of  prayer 
which  made  his  study  a  Bethel,  and  his  preparation  for  the 
pulpit  a  holy  exercise  of  devotion.     I  have  seldom  met  a 

Swho  was  more  habitually  praj-erful.  It  was  at  the 
e  of  grace  that  he  sought  to  be  anointed  for  his 
,  and  refreshed  after  the  labors  of  his  office.  Some 
ministers  are  too  much  engaged  in  active  exertions,  and 
are  in  danger  of  having  their  own  souls  starved  and  their 
spiritual  growth  dwarfed  by  the  incessant  round  of  their 
professional  duties.    Others,  attracted  by  the  enjoyments  of 


lU 

the  closet,  are  crippled  iu  their  usefuhiess.  aud  restrained 
from  pastoral  intercourse  with  their  flock,  but  our  friend 
happily  combined  communion  with  Chrit*t  with  labor  in  his 
vineyard,  and,  while  he  constantly  refreshed  himself  in  the 
presence  of  his  Saviour,  went  forth  from  his  retirement  to 
imitate  the  example  of  Him  of  whom  it  is  recorded,  "lie 
went  about  doing  gooclj" 

And  this  leads  me  to  speak  of  him  as  a  minister  of 
Christ.  It  was  in  this  office,  assumed  by  him  with  the 
highest  sense  of  its  responsibility,  that  he  preeminently 
exhibited  the  self-sacrificing  spirit  of  the  Apostle  in  our 
text,  "lie  counted  not  his  life  dear  unto  himself  so  that  he 
might  finish  his  course  with  joy,  and  the  ministry  which  he 
had  received  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  to  testify  the  gospel  of  the 
grace  of  God."  All  who  saw  him  perceived  at  once  that 
his  whole  sonl  was  in  his  work.  Those  who  knew  him  most 
intimately  were  reminded  of  the  prophetic  words  spoken 
of  that  Divine  Master  who  was  his  strength  and  his  exam- 
ple: "  The  zeal  of  thine  house  hath  eaten  me  up."  He  Viced 
for  but  one  purpose:  he  died  in  the  endeavor  to  accomplish 
it.  The  glory  of  Christ  in  the  salvation  of  souls 'was  the 
great  end  before  him,  and  with  the  tender  love  of  one  who 
had  himself  found  mercy,  and  the  sympathy  of  a  heart 
which  had  felt  the  burden  of  sin  and  rejoiced  in  the  salva- 
tion ol'  Jesus,  and  an  earnestness  which  was  derived  IVom 
a  realizing  sense  of  the  value  of  the  soul  and  the  nearness 
of  eternity,  he  "preached  tlie  word."  His  theme  was  Jesus 
Christ  and  him  crucified,"  and  there  was  an  impressive 
solemnity  in  his  faithful  handling  of  it.  Sinners  were 
atfectionately  warned.  Believers  were  tenderly  admonished 
and  built  up  in  the  Lord,  and  the  sorrowing  and  afflicted 
had  a  large  share  of  his  regard,  while  he  sought  "  to^^n- 
fort  them  in  their  trouble  by  the  comfort  whercwi^Pie 
himself  was  comforted  of  God." 

The  earnestness  which  gave  power  t<^  his  appeals  in  the 
]»ul]»it  made  his  performance  of  the  service  in  the  desk 
peculiaily  impressive.  The  book  of  Common  l^'rayer  Vas 
enshrined  in  the  dearest  affections  of  his  heart,  while  his 


17 

taste  and  cultivation  made  him  an  ardent  admirer  of  its 
words  of  eloquent  supplication,  and  when  he  opened  it  for 
worship  his  whole  nature  seemed  solemnized ;  the  tone  of 
h\s  voice,  hecauie  fervent  and  moving;  his  eye  was  lit  with 
the  beauty  of  heaven,  and  his  countenance  glowed  with  the 
highest  expression  of  devotion.  His  propriety  and  taste  in 
conducting  all  the  services  of  our  ritual  gave  indeed  a 
special  charm  to  his  public  ministry,  and  few  could  listen 
to  him  as  he  led  in  jirayer  without  realizing  that  they  were 
in  the  presence  of  God. 

In  the  lambs  of  his  flock  he  took  a  peculiar  interest.  No 
clergyman  was  more  assiduous  in  catechising  the  children 
of  his  charge,  and  it  was  with  a  loving  anxiety  that  he 
watched  the  development  of  their  religious  hopes,  and, 
when,  having  "come  to -years  of  discretion,"  they  were 
inquiring  the  way  of  life,  with  careful  instruction  he  pre- 
pared them  in  public  and  })rivate  for  the  rite  of  conflrma- 
tion  and  admission  to  the  table  of  the  Lord. 

But  it  was  in  the  sphere  of  pastoral  duty  that  our 
friend's  chief  excellence  was  found.  A  more  faithful  and 
laborious  shepherd  the  Church  has  seldom  enjoyed.  His 
friendly  visits,  and  cordial  greetings,  and  hearty  sympathy 
in  all  their  joys  and  sorrows  secured  for  him  a  place  in  the 
hearts  of  his  people,  and  he  ever  used  his  influence  for  the 
advancement  of' the  cause  of  his  Master,  and  the  highest 
interests  of  his  kingdom.  It  is  perhaps  in  this  respect  that 
he  will  be  longest  remembered.  You  will  miss  him  from 
your  family  circle,  from  the  bedside  of  the  sick  and  the 
dying,  and  from  all  those  scenes  and  occasions  when  your 
domestic  life  was  solemnized  with  the  presence  of  one 
whom  you  felt  to  be  "a  man  of  God."  His  brethren  ot  the 
ministry  may  learn  a  lesson  of  the  utmost  importance  from 
his  example.,  and  his  memory  to  those  who  loved  him  will  be 
a  constant  stimulus  to  pastoral  faithfulness. 

As  a  theologian,  Mr.  Dehon,  next  to  the  word  of  God 
and  the  liturgy  and  oflices  of  the  Church,  valued  the 
standard  divines  of  the  Church  of  Ens^land.  Thonirh 
remarkably  modest  and  unobtrusive  in  the  expression  of 


18     . 

his  views,  his  principles  were  fixed  and  decided.  IIo  whs, 
indeed,  no  partisan,  and  had  a  lieart  large  enough  to 
encircle  in  tlie  warmth  of  his  love  his  brethren  of  every 
schorj  of  theology.  His  own  judgment  led  him  to  em- 
brace the  principles  of  such  divines  as  Bancroft,  and 
Pearson,  and  Horseley,  and  he  illustrated  his  churchman- 
ship  with  the  meekness  of  Ken,  the  devotion  of  Andrews, 
and  the  godly  simplicity  and  earnestness  of  Herbert.  One 
of  his  favorite  authors  was  Bishop  Hall,  and  a  volume  of 
his  "Contemplations"  Avas  always  to  be  seen  niion  his 
study  table.  Stronglv  attached  to  what  he  couscientiously 
believed  to  be  Apostolic  order,  he  was  no  less  earnestl}' 
devoted  to  the  maintenance  of  Evangelical  truth.  The 
Church  he  valued  as  the  divinely  authorized  conservator 
of  that  truth.  The  sacraments  he  highly  prized  and  duly 
administered  as  appointed  means  of  grace,  and  the  prayer 
book  he  loved  as  the  voice  of  his  mother  and  the  beautiful 
echo  of  the  word  of  inspiration.  But  it  was  Ciirirt  whom 
Jie  sought  to  honor  in  all  these  things,  and  to  the  Cross 
and  its  atoning  blood  his  heart  turned  with  the  steadiness 
of  the  needle  to  the  pole.  "To  testif\'  the  gospel  of  the 
grace  of  God"  was  the  end  and  aim  of  his  ministry. 

I  might  go  on  and  speak  of  his  virtues  as  u  citi/.en.  I 
might  mention  the  ardent  love  of  country  which  made  him 
watch  with  the  intensest  interest  our  present  struggle  for 
independence.  I  might  tell  you  how  his  heart  burned  with 
atfection  for  his  native  Carolina,  and  for  the  city  of  his 
birth,  but  I  must  forbear.  If  this  feeble  etfort  of  one  who 
loved  him  as  a  brother  shall  aid  you  in  recalling  the 
excellencies  of  your  departed  rector,  and  shall  stimulate 
you,  through  grace,  to  emulate  his  character,  my  end  will 
be  attained.  You  have  lost,' my  brethren,  one  whom  it  is 
not  easy  to  forget;  the  deepest  sorrow  is  but  an  a[»propriate 
tribute  to  his  goodness.  But  let  us  "not  sorrow  as  those 
that  have  no  hope."  lie  sleeps  in  Jesus.  lie  rests  from  his 
labors.  Ilis  course  is  finished.  Ilis  crown  is  won.  Now, 
with  the  gathered  saints  in  Paradise,  he  communes  with 
his  gloi-ified  Lord;  and  when  the  great  resurrection  morn 


19 

shall  dawn  upon  our  earth  j'ou  shall  see  him  again  with 
"the  King  in  his  heauty;"  that  "life"- which  on  earth  he 
"counted  not  dear  unto  himself"  made  immortal  in  the 
presence  of  his  Lord. 

Only  remember  that  in  that  day  when  he  shall  give 
account  of  his  stewardship,  you  must  answer  before  the  bar  • 
of  God  how  you  have  hearkened  to  his  message,  and  what 
fruit  his  ministry  has  borne  among  you.  And  if  any  of 
you  have'  neglected  his  tender  admonitions,  may  you  now 
find  grace  to  yield  yourselves  at  his  grave  to  that  Saviour 
whom  he  so  ardently  loved. 


O  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  who  at  thy  first  coming  didst  send 
thy  messenger  to  prepare  thy  way  before  thee,  grant  that 
the  ministers  and  stewards  of  thy  mysteries  may  likewise 
so  prepare  and  make  ready  thy  way,  by  turning  the  hearts 
of  the  disobedient  to  the  wisdom  of  the  just,  that,  at  thy 
second  coming  to  judge  the  world,  we  may  be  found  an 
acceptable  people  in  thy  sight,  who  livest  and  reignest 
with  the  Father,  and  the  Holy  Spirit,  ever  one  God,  world 
without  end.     Amen. 


J 


" '  ■5?«^ 


'If. : 


